Life

5 Ways to Improve Flexibility

Instead of viewing a flexibility routine as something you must do each day, view it as something to look forward to.

By John Howard and Gina Poertner, CHES

Stretching is a bit like religion. Some of us are fervent believers, starting or ending each day with our favorite stretching regimens. Some athletes give it lip service, performing perfunctory toe touches and a few stretches of the hamstrings or quadriceps after a run or bike ride. Others abstain from stretching completely, thinking it a pointless and time-consuming inconvenience. The reality is that paying attention to flexibility will provide you with daily rewards you can feel. Assuming that you are a committed multisport athlete, flexibility takes on a deeper significance should you be planning on using your body well beyond the average expiration date.

Although flexibility is somewhat dependent on genetics, gender, and age, there is a lot we can do to improve what nature has bestowed upon us. A little bit of time dedicated to improving soft tissue mobility will result in worthwhile benefits out on the tri course.

Major benefits of stretching:

1) Greater range of motion ROM means less joint pain and stiffness.2) Improved posture will make you look and feel better.3) Reduced risk of injury is all about longevity.4) More power, need we say more.5) Enhanced recovery from training.

What seems to be missing from the arsenals of athletes whether young, old, experienced, or beginner, is a balance between the left and right sides of the body. This type of imbalance, one side being less flexible than the other, translates to a loss of efficiency during training and racing. Fortunately, these imbalances can be corrected through daily stretching. The trick is to get into the groove of stretching regularly and make it part of your daily regime. This might mean wearing loose clothing so that you can hit the floor and engage the muscles whenever even a small block of time is available.

Balancing the three sports starts with what we refer to as BodyFiTTE™, the flexibility and strength program we teach all of our athletes. Since cycling is our primary training focus, consider the fact that everything you do off the bike affects what happens on the bike. The same effect can be applied to running and swimming. Instead of viewing a flexibility routine as something you must do each day, view it as something to look forward to. This practice will make you a better triathlete. We guarantee it! The best way to make a stretching regimen stick is to hit the floor immediately upon waking each morning and take yourself through a brief, ancillary core routine. This gets the blood flowing and lubricates joints before you start to stretch the major muscle groups. Once you see the positive effects of flexibility in your triathlon results, you will find yourself wanting to increase the duration and frequency of your core and flexibility workouts. Think of these sessions as money in the bank for your performance. By adopting this premise, your racing and training will improve with even a basic stretching program. Remember, the key element is blending stretching into your lifestyle.

Here are a few rules that make it easier: First, always engage the core for a few minutes to warm up the body before beginning any stretching routine. Second, observe good form so as not to cause an injury. (For an illustrated guide to good form we recommend picking up John Howard’s latest book, Mastering Cycling. Chapter Four’s "Training off the Bike" will explain the dynamics of each type of stretching such as active and passive.)

The best way to make a stretching regimen stick is to hit the floor immediately upon waking each morning.

The routine begins with a warm-up core routine. It is simply not enough to have good core strength, we need to know how to actually use it. In our camps and technical clinics we detail how to access the core strength to create a stabile platform, thus allowing the major muscles to work more freely and deliver constant sustained wattage throughout the pedal stroke. This core focus pays big dividends when the bike course takes us uphill. Progressing into the actual stretches, the muscles of the hip and groin are engaged to improve the quality of hip flexion which represents nearly half of the normal pedal stroke.

A common occurrence in cycling is a splayed knee which adversely affects the linear nature of the force vector. Typically, this is the result of tight iliotibial band (ITB) muscles along with external hip rotators. The illustrated stretches in the book explain how to loosen up these areas to straighten the leg, thus making the pedal stroke more disciplined and of course, more powerful. Conversely, some athletes have exceptionally tight adductors, which mean a knee will be driven too close to the top tube also adversely affecting the direction of the leg. Since balance and symmetry is often lacking, we typically see these athletes "crabbing" their pedal stroke with one knee in and the other out. Mastering Cycling also addresses upper body flexibility with some simple stretches that loosen the spine, mid back and trapezius, which directly affect our comfort level while riding in the aero position. This series of stretches is equally important for the swimming portion of our sport, especially for swimmers who have yet to learn or practice bilateral breathing. The same chapter details a series of lower leg stretches that affects the quality of the lifting of the leg in hip flexion. The gastrocnemius and soleus muscles are a major concern to runners who are constantly abusing these areas and often do not adequately separate the two groups while stretching.

All of these seemingly small details cost us exponentially in power, and we’ve merely scratched the surface here. The beauty is in the balance. Addressing our muscles with effective, targeted stretching is a must if maximum performance is to be achieved and maintained.

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John Howard holds world records at both ends of the spectrum of madness: In speed (152 mph) and endurance (539 miles in 24 hours). He is an 18-time elite and masters USA cycling national champion, an Ironman world champion, a professional coach, bicycle fitter (he created the FiTTE System), and author of the new book, "Mastering Cycling."

Gina Poertner, CHES is the owner of Life Balance Sports, with a focus on triathlon, cycling, and running. She is also a FiTTE System Practitioner and Instructor for John Howard Performance Sports and specializes in bicycle fitting and positioning.